# Leader of the House of Lords

The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the governing party in the House of Lords who acts as the government party chairperson in the house. The role is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, usually one of the sinecure offices of Lord President of the Council, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal or Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Unless the Leader is also a departmental minister, being Leader constitutes the bulk of their government responsibilities, but it has never been an independent salaried office. The Office of the Leader of the House of Lords is a ministerial department.
Though the leader of the House is a member of the cabinet and remains a partisan figure, the leader also has responsibilities to the House as a whole. In contrast to the House of Commons, where proceedings are controlled by the speaker, proceedings in the Lords are controlled by peers themselves, under the rules set out in the Standing Orders. The leader of the House has the responsibility of reminding the House of these rules and facilitating the Lords' self-regulation, though any member may draw attention to breaches of order or failure to observe customs. The Leader is often called upon to advise on procedures and points of order and is required to determine the order of speakers on Supplementary Questions, subject to the wishes of the House. However, like the Lord Speaker, the Leader of the House has no power to rule on points of order or to intervene during an inappropriate speech.
Until the election of the first Lord Speaker on 4 July 2006, the Leader of the House had responsibility for making preliminary decisions on requests for Private Notice Questions and for waiving the sub judice rule in certain cases. Those functions were transferred to the Lord Speaker.

## History

The title seems to have come into use some time after 1800, as a formal way of referring to the peer who managed government business in the upper House, irrespective of which salaried position they held in the cabinet. However, it may have been used as early as 1689, applied to George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, when he was Speaker of the House of Lords during the Convention Parliament of that year.
The role developed during the first quarter of the eighteenth century, at the same time as the role of Prime Minister and the system of Cabinet government. In the wake of the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution and the succession of the Hanoverians to the throne, Britain evolved a system of government where ministers were sustained in office by their ability to carry legislation through Parliament. It was therefore necessary for a member of the government to take responsibility for steering government legislation through each House.
The Earl of Sunderland initiated aspects of the role during the Whig Junto under Queen Anne. Sunderland and the other Whigs were dismissed from office in reaction to their co-ordination of government matters, which was taken as a threat to the power of the monarch. Sunderland returned to power under George I, as Lord Privy Seal. The first documentary evidence of the existence of the role comes from 1717, when Sunderland became Secretary of State for the Northern Department: in the form of lists of peers invited to the office of the Northern Secretary immediately before sessions of Parliament.
When the Prime Minister sat in the House of Lords, which was common until the beginning of the twentieth century, he usually held the position of Leader of the House of Lords. When the Prime Minister sat in the Commons, the position of Leader of the Lords was often held by the Foreign Secretary or Colonial Secretary. In some coalition governments, it was held by the party leader who was not Prime Minister.
Since the end of the Marquess of Salisbury's last government, in 1902, the position clearly exists in its own right as a member of the cabinet. Since 1966 it has only been combined with sinecure positions and the holder has not been a departmental minister though some have held additional responsibilities such as Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham also being designated "Minister for Science" or Margaret Baroness Jay also being "Minister for Women". The first female Leader of the Lords was Janet Young, Baroness Young in 1981–1983. Lord Peart, Viscount Whitelaw and Lord Wakeham served as Leader of the Lords having previously been Leader of the House of Commons.

### Families

* Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury served as Leader of the House of Lords from 1885 to 1886, from 1886 to 1892 and from 1895 to 1902. His son James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury served as Leader from 1925 to 1929. His son in turn, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury served as Leader first from 1942 to 1945 as Viscount Cranborne by means of a writ of acceleration, and as the Marquess of Salisbury from 1951 to 1957. His grandson, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, served as Leader from 1994 to 1997, as Viscount Cranborne, again by means of a writ of acceleration.
* Douglas Hogg, 1st Viscount Hailsham served as Leader of the House of Lords from 1931 to 1935. His son Quintin Hogg, 2nd Viscount Hailsham served as Leader from 1960 to 1963.

## Responsibilities

* Management and delivery of the Government's legislative programme (through the House of Lords) and facilitating the passage of individual bills.
* Leading the House (in the Chamber and as a key member of domestic committees to do with procedure, conduct, and the internal governance of the House).
* Issues connected to the House of Lords and its governance.
* Speaking for the Government in the Chamber on a range of issues, including repeating in the House of Lords statements made to the Commons by the Prime Minister.
* Ceremonial and other duties as the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal.

## List

Because the post is a parliamentary one and not a ministerial office in its own right, it is not always included in official lists of government offices, especially for earlier periods. This can make it difficult to determine who the Leader of the House of Lords was in a particular ministry.
| Leader | Term of office | Term of office | Other ministerial offices held as Leader of the House of Lords | Political party | Prime Minister | Prime Minister |
| Charles Spencer The Earl of Sunderland | April 1717 | March 1718 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | No such office | No such office |
| James Stanhope The Earl Stanhope Viscount Stanhope until April 1718 | March 1718 | 5 February 1721 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | No such office | No such office |
| Charles Townshend The Viscount Townshend | February 1721 | May 1730 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | Whig | | Robert Walpole |
| William Stanhope The Earl of Harrington Lord Harrington until 1742 | May 1730 | February 1742 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | | Robert Walpole |
| John Carteret The Earl Granville Lord Carteret until 1744 | 12 February 1742 | 24 November 1744 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | Whig | | Earl of Wilmington (until July 1743) |
| John Carteret The Earl Granville Lord Carteret until 1744 | 12 February 1742 | 24 November 1744 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | Whig | | Henry Pelham (from 27 August 1743) |
| William Stanhope The Earl of Harrington | November 1744 | October 1746 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | | Henry Pelham (from 27 August 1743) |
| Philip Dormer Stanhope The Earl of Chesterfield | October 1746 | February 1748 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | Whig | | Henry Pelham (from 27 August 1743) |
| Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle | February 1748 | 16 November 1756 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department until March 1754– Prime Minister from March 1754 | Whig | | Henry Pelham (from 27 August 1743) |
| Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle | February 1748 | 16 November 1756 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department until March 1754– Prime Minister from March 1754 | Whig | | Himself |
| William Cavendish The Duke of Devonshire | 16 November 1756 | 25 June 1757 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself |
| Thomas Pelham-Holles The Duke of Newcastle | 2 July 1757 | 26 May 1762 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself |
| Charles Wyndham The Earl of Egremont | May 1762 | 21 August 1763 | – Secretary of State for the Southern Department | | | Earl of Bute (until April 1763) |
| Charles Wyndham The Earl of Egremont | May 1762 | 21 August 1763 | – Secretary of State for the Southern Department | | | George Grenville (from 16 April 1763) |
| George Montagu Dunk The Earl of Halifax | August 1763 | July 1765 | – Secretary of State for the Southern Department | | | George Grenville (from 16 April 1763) |
| Charles Watson-Wentworth The Marquess of Rockingham | 13 July 1765 | 30 July 1766 | – Prime Minister | Whig (Rockingham) | | Himself |
| Augustus FitzRoy The Duke of Grafton | 1766 | 28 January 1770 | – First Lord of the Treasury – Prime Minister from October 1768 | Whig (Chathamite) | | Earl of Chatham (William Pitt the Elder) (until October 1768) |
| Augustus FitzRoy The Duke of Grafton | 1766 | 28 January 1770 | – First Lord of the Treasury – Prime Minister from October 1768 | Whig (Chathamite) | | Himself (from 14 October 1768) |
| Thomas Thynne The Viscount Weymouth | January 1770 | December 1770 | – Secretary of State for the Southern Department | | | Lord North |
| William Nassau de Zuylestein The Earl of Rochford | December 1770 | November 1775 | – Secretary of State for the Southern Department | | | Lord North |
| Henry Howard The Earl of Suffolk | November 1775 | 6 March 1779 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | | Lord North |
| Thomas Thynne The Viscount Weymouth | March 1779 | November 1779 | – Secretary of State until October 1779 - Secretary of State for the Southern Department from October 1779 | | | Lord North |
| David Murray The Viscount Stormont | November 1779 | March 1782 | – Secretary of State for the Northern Department | | | Lord North |
| William Petty The Earl of Shelburne | March 1782 | April 1783 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until July 1782 – Prime Minister from July 1782 | Whig (Rockingham) | | Marquess of Rockingham (until 1 July 1782) |
| William Petty The Earl of Shelburne | March 1782 | April 1783 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until July 1782 – Prime Minister from July 1782 | Whig (Rockingham) | | Himself (from 4 July 1782) |
| William Cavendish-Bentinck The Duke of Portland | 2 April 1783 | December 1783 | – Prime Minister | Whig (Foxite) | | Himself (figurehead) |
| George Nugent-Temple-Grenville The Earl Temple | December 1783 | December 1783 | – Home Secretary – Foreign Secretary | – | | William Pitt the Younger |
| Thomas Townshend The Lord Sydney | December 1783 | June 1789 | – Home Secretary | Whig | | William Pitt the Younger |
| Francis Osborne The Duke of Leeds | 1789 | 1790 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Tory | | William Pitt the Younger |
| William Grenville The Lord Grenville | November 1790 | February 1801 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until June 1791 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from June 1791 | Tory | | William Pitt the Younger |
| Robert Hobart The Lord Hobart | March 1801 | October 1801 | – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies | Tory | | Henry Addington |
| Thomas Pelham The Lord Pelham | October 1801 | August 1803 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department | Tory | | Henry Addington |
| Robert Jenkinson The Lord Hawkesbury | November 1803 | February 1806 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs until May 1804 – Secretary of State for the Home Department from May 1804 | Tory | | Henry Addington |
| Robert Jenkinson The Lord Hawkesbury | November 1803 | February 1806 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs until May 1804 – Secretary of State for the Home Department from May 1804 | Tory | | William Pitt the Younger |
| William Grenville The Lord Grenville | 11 February 1806 | March 1807 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself (Ministry of All the Talents) |
| Robert Jenkinson The Earl of Liverpool Baron Hawkesbury until 1808 Earl of Liverpool from 1808 | 25 March 1807 | April 1827 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until November 1809 – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies November 1809 – June 1812 – Prime Minister from June 1812 | Tory | | 3rd Duke of Portland |
| Robert Jenkinson The Earl of Liverpool Baron Hawkesbury until 1808 Earl of Liverpool from 1808 | 25 March 1807 | April 1827 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until November 1809 – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies November 1809 – June 1812 – Prime Minister from June 1812 | Tory | | Spencer Perceval |
| Robert Jenkinson The Earl of Liverpool Baron Hawkesbury until 1808 Earl of Liverpool from 1808 | 25 March 1807 | April 1827 | – Secretary of State for the Home Department until November 1809 – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies November 1809 – June 1812 – Prime Minister from June 1812 | Tory | | Himself |
| F. J. Robinson The Viscount Goderich | 30 April 1827 | January 1828 | Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until September 1827 – Prime Minister from August 1827 | Tory | | George Canning |
| F. J. Robinson The Viscount Goderich | 30 April 1827 | January 1828 | Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until September 1827 – Prime Minister from August 1827 | Tory | | Himself |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington | January 1828 | November 1830 | – Prime Minister | Tory | | Himself |
| Charles Grey The Earl Grey | 22 November 1830 | 9 July 1834 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself |
| William Lamb The Viscount Melbourne | 16 July 1834 | 14 November 1834 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington | 17 November 1834 | 8 April 1835 | – Prime Minister until December 1834 – Secretary of State for the Home Department until December 1834 – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until December 1834 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Tory | | Himself (Caretaker) |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington | 17 November 1834 | 8 April 1835 | – Prime Minister until December 1834 – Secretary of State for the Home Department until December 1834 – Secretary of State for War and the Colonies until December 1834 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Tory | | Robert Peel |
| William Lamb The Viscount Melbourne | 18 April 1835 | 30 August 1841 | – Prime Minister | Whig | | Himself |
| Arthur Wellesley The Duke of Wellington | 3 September 1841 | 27 June 1846 | – Minister without portfolio | Conservative | | Robert Peel |
| Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice The Marquess of Lansdowne | 6 July 1846 | 21 February 1852 | – Lord President of the Council | Whig | | Lord John Russell |
| Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby | 23 February 1852 | 17 December 1852 | – Prime Minister | Conservative | | Himself |
| George Hamilton-Gordon The Earl of Aberdeen | 19 December 1852 | 30 January 1855 | – Prime Minister | Peelite | | Himself (Coalition) |
| Granville Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville | 8 February 1855 | 21 February 1858 | – Lord President of the Council | Whig | | Viscount Palmerston |
| Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby | 21 February 1858 | 11 June 1859 | – Prime Minister | Conservative | | Himself |
| Granville Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville | 18 June 1859 | 29 October 1865 | – Lord President of the Council | Liberal | | Viscount Palmerston |
| John Russell The Earl Russell | 29 October 1865 | 26 June 1866 | – Prime Minister | Liberal | | Himself |
| Edward Smith-Stanley The Earl of Derby | 28 June 1866 | 25 February 1868 | – Prime Minister | Conservative | | Himself |
| James Harris The Earl of Malmesbury | 27 February 1868 | 1 December 1868 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Benjamin Disraeli |
| Granville Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville | 9 December 1868 | 17 February 1874 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies until July 1870 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from July 1870 | Liberal | | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Charles Gordon-Lennox The Duke of Richmond | 21 February 1874 | 21 August 1876 | – Lord President of the Council | Conservative | | Benjamin Disraeli |
| Benjamin Disraeli The Earl of Beaconsfield | 21 August 1876 | 21 April 1880 | – Prime Minister – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from August 1876 until February 1878 | Conservative | | Benjamin Disraeli |
| Granville Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville | 28 April 1880 | 9 June 1885 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Liberal | | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 23 June 1885 | 28 January 1886 | – Prime Minister – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Conservative | | Himself |
| Granville Leveson-Gower The Earl Granville | 6 February 1886 | 20 July 1886 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies | Liberal | | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 25 July 1886 | 11 August 1892 | – Prime Minister – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from January 1887 | Conservative | | Himself |
| John Wodehouse The Earl of Kimberley | 18 August 1892 | 5 March 1894 | – Lord President of the Council | Liberal | | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Archibald Primrose The Earl of Rosebery | 5 March 1894 | 21 June 1895 | – Prime Minister | Liberal | | Himself |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 25 June 1895 | 11 July 1902 | – Prime Minister – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs until November 1900 – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 12 November 1900 | Conservative | | Himself |
| Spencer Cavendish The Duke of Devonshire | 12 July 1902 | 13 October 1903 | – Lord President of the Council | Liberal Unionist | | Arthur Balfour (Conservative) |
| Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice The Marquess of Lansdowne | 13 October 1903 | 4 December 1905 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Liberal Unionist | | Arthur Balfour (Conservative) |
| George Robinson The Marquess of Ripon | 10 December 1905 | 14 April 1908 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Liberal | | Henry Campbell-Bannerman |
| Robert Crewe-Milnes The Marquess of Crewe Earl of Crewe until 1911 Marquess of Crewe from 1911 | 14 April 1908 | 10 December 1916 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies May 1908– November 1910 – Lord Keeper of the Privy SealOctober 1908 – October 1911; February 1912 – May 1915 – Secretary of State for India November 1910 – March 1911; May 1911 – May 1915 – Lord President of the Council from May 1915 – President of the Board of Education from August 1916 | Liberal | | H. H. Asquith |
| George Curzon The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Earl Curzon of Kedleston until 1921 Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921 | 10 December 1916 | 22 January 1924 | – Lord President of the Council until October 1919 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from October 1919 | Conservative | | David Lloyd George (Liberal) |
| George Curzon The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Earl Curzon of Kedleston until 1921 Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921 | 10 December 1916 | 22 January 1924 | – Lord President of the Council until October 1919 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from October 1919 | Conservative | | Bonar Law |
| George Curzon The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Earl Curzon of Kedleston until 1921 Marquess Curzon of Kedleston from 1921 | 10 December 1916 | 22 January 1924 | – Lord President of the Council until October 1919 – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from October 1919 | Conservative | | Stanley Baldwin |
| Richard Haldane The Viscount Haldane | 22 January 1924 | 3 November 1924 | – Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain | Labour | | Ramsay MacDonald |
| George Curzon The Marquess Curzon of Kedleston | 3 November 1924 | 20 March 1925 | – Lord President of the Council | Conservative | | Stanley Baldwin |
| James Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 27 April 1925 | 4 June 1929 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Stanley Baldwin |
| Charles Cripps The Lord Parmoor | 7 June 1929 | 24 August 1931 | – Lord President of the Council | Labour | | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Rufus Isaacs The Marquess of Reading | 24 August 1931 | 5 November 1931 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Liberal | | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Douglas Hogg The Viscount Hailsham | 5 November 1931 | 7 June 1935 | – Secretary of State for War | Conservative | | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart The Marquess of Londonderry | 7 June 1935 | 22 November 1935 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Stanley Baldwin |
| Edward Wood The Viscount Halifax | 22 November 1935 | 21 February 1938 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until May 1937 – Lord President of the Council from 28 May 1937 | Conservative | | Stanley Baldwin |
| Edward Wood The Viscount Halifax | 22 November 1935 | 21 February 1938 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until May 1937 – Lord President of the Council from 28 May 1937 | Conservative | | Neville Chamberlain |
| James Stanhope The Earl Stanhope | 21 February 1938 | 14 May 1940 | – President of the Board of Education until October 1938 – First Lord of the Admiralty October 1938 to September 1939 – Lord President of the Council September 1939 to May 1940 | Conservative | | Neville Chamberlain |
| Thomas Inskip The Viscount Caldecote | 14 May 1940 | 3 October 1940 | – Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| Edward Wood The Viscount Halifax | 3 October 1940 | 22 December 1940 | – Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| George Lloyd The Lord Lloyd | 22 December 1940 | 4 February 1941 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| Walter Guinness The Lord Moyne | 8 February 1941 | 21 February 1942 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne | 21 February 1942 | 26 July 1945 | – Secretary of State for the Colonies to November 1942 – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal November 1942 to September 1943 – Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs September 1943 to 1945 | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| Christopher Addison The Viscount Addison | 3 August 1945 | 26 October 1951 | – Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs until July 1947 – Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations July 1947 – October 1947 – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal October 1947 – March 1951 – Paymaster General July 1948– April 1949 – Lord President of the Council from March 1951 | Labour | | Clement Attlee |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 28 October 1951 | 29 March 1957 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until May 1952 – Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations March 1952– November 1952 – Lord President of the Council from November 1952 | Conservative | | Winston Churchill |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil The Marquess of Salisbury | 28 October 1951 | 29 March 1957 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until May 1952 – Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations March 1952– November 1952 – Lord President of the Council from November 1952 | Conservative | | Anthony Eden |
| Alec Douglas-Home The Earl of Home | 29 March 1957 | 27 July 1960 | – Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations – Lord President of the Council until September 1957; from October 1959 | Conservative | | Harold Macmillan |
| Quintin Hogg The Viscount Hailsham | 27 July 1960 | 20 October 1963 | – Lord President of the Council – Minister for Science | Conservative | | Harold Macmillan |
| Peter Carington The Lord Carrington | 20 October 1963 | 16 October 1964 | – Minister without portfolio | Conservative | | Alec Douglas-Home |
| Frank Pakenham The Earl of Longford | 18 October 1964 | 16 January 1968 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Sealuntil December 1965; from April 1966 – Secretary of State for the Colonies December 1965 – April 1966 | Labour | | Harold Wilson |
| Edward Shackleton The Lord Shackleton | 16 January 1968 | 19 June 1970 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until April 1968; from October 1968 – Paymaster General April 1968 – November 1968 | Labour | | Harold Wilson |
| George Jellicoe The Earl Jellicoe | 20 June 1970 | 23 May 1973 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Edward Heath |
| David Hennessy The Lord Windlesham | 5 June 1973 | 4 March 1974 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Edward Heath |
| Malcolm Shepherd The Lord Shepherd | 7 March 1974 | 10 September 1976 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Labour | | Harold Wilson |
| Malcolm Shepherd The Lord Shepherd | 7 March 1974 | 10 September 1976 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Labour | | James Callaghan |
| Fred Peart The Lord Peart | 10 September 1976 | 4 May 1979 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Labour | | James Callaghan |
| Christopher Soames The Lord Soames | 5 May 1979 | 14 September 1981 | – Lord President of the Council | Conservative | | Margaret Thatcher |
| Janet Young The Baroness Young | 14 September 1981 | 11 June 1983 | – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster until April 1982 – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from April 1982 | Conservative | | Margaret Thatcher |
| William Whitelaw The Viscount Whitelaw | 11 June 1983 | 10 January 1988 | – Lord President of the Council | Conservative | | Margaret Thatcher |
| John Ganzoni The Lord Belstead | 10 January 1988 | 28 November 1990 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Margaret Thatcher |
| David Waddington The Lord Waddington | 28 November 1990 | 11 April 1992 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | John Major |
| John Wakeham The Lord Wakeham | 11 April 1992 | 20 July 1994 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | John Major |
| Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Viscount Cranborne | 20 July 1994 | 2 May 1997 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | John Major |
| Ivor Richard The Lord Richard | 2 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Labour | | Tony Blair |
| Margaret Jay The Baroness Jay of Paddington | 27 July 1998 | 8 June 2001 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal – Minister for Women | Labour | | Tony Blair |
| Gareth Williams The Lord Williams of Mostyn | 8 June 2001 | 20 September 2003 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal until June 2003 – Lord President of the Council from June 2003 | Labour | | Tony Blair |
| Valerie Amos The Baroness Amos | 6 October 2003 | 27 June 2007 | – Lord President of the Council | Labour | | Tony Blair |
| Catherine Ashton The Baroness Ashton of Upholland | 28 June 2007 | 2 October 2008 | – Lord President of the Council | Labour | | Gordon Brown |
| Janet Royall The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon | 2 October 2008 | 11 May 2010 | – Lord President of the Council until June 2009 – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from June 2009 | Labour | | Gordon Brown |
| Thomas Galbraith The Lord Strathclyde | 12 May 2010 | 7 January 2013 | – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative | | David Cameron |
| Jonathan Hill The Lord Hill of Oareford | 7 January 2013 | 15 July 2014 | – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative | | David Cameron |
| Tina Stowell The Baroness Stowell of Beeston | 15 July 2014 | 14 July 2016 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | David Cameron |
| Natalie Evans The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park | 14 July 2016 | 6 September 2022 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Theresa May |
| Natalie Evans The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park | 14 July 2016 | 6 September 2022 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Boris Johnson |
| Nicholas True The Lord True | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Liz Truss |
| Nicholas True The Lord True | 6 September 2022 | 5 July 2024 | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Conservative | | Rishi Sunak |
| Angela Smith The Baroness Smith of Basildon | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | – Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal | Labour | | Keir Starmer |

## Deputy Leaders

The following peers have served as Deputy Leaders of the House of Lords since 1963:
| Leader | Term start | Term end | Other ministerial offices held as Deputy Leader of the House of Lords | Political party | Prime Minister |
| The Viscount Blakenham | October 1963 | October 1964 | – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative | Alec Douglas-Home |
| The Lord Champion | 21 October 1964 | 7 January 1967 | – Minister without portfolio | Labour | Harold Wilson |
| The Lord Shackleton | 7 January 1967 | 16 January 1968 | – Minister without portfolio | Labour | Harold Wilson |
| The Lord Shepherd | February 1968 | June 1970 | – Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs (1968) – Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1968–70) | Labour | Harold Wilson |
| The Lord Aberdare | 1970 | 1974 | – Minister of State for Health and Social Security | Conservative | Edward Heath |
| The Lord Beswick | February 1974 | December 1975 | – Minister of State for Industry | Labour | Harold Wilson |
| The Lord Goronwy-Roberts | December 1975 | May 1979 | – Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | Labour | Harold Wilson |
| The Lord Goronwy-Roberts | December 1975 | May 1979 | – Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | Labour | James Callaghan |
| The Earl Ferrers | November 1979 | May 1983 | – Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| The Lord Belstead | June 1983 | January 1988 | – Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1983–87) – Minister of State for Environment (1987–88) | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| The Earl Ferrers | January 1988 | May 1997 | – Minister of State for Home Affairs (1988–94) – Minister of State for Consumer Affairs (1994–95) – Minister of State for Environment and Countryside (1995–97) | Conservative | Margaret Thatcher |
| The Earl Ferrers | January 1988 | May 1997 | – Minister of State for Home Affairs (1988–94) – Minister of State for Consumer Affairs (1994–95) – Minister of State for Environment and Countryside (1995–97) | Conservative | John Major |
| The Baroness Jay of Paddington | 2 May 1997 | 27 July 1998 | – Minister of State for Health | Labour | Tony Blair |
| The Lord Williams of Mostyn | October 1998 | June 2001 | – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs (1997–98) – Minister of State for Prisons (1998–99) – Attorney General for England and Wales (1999–2001) – Attorney General for Northern Ireland (1999–2001) | Labour | Tony Blair |
| The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean | 8 June 2001 | 6 June 2005 | – Minister of State for Trade and Investment (2001–03) – Minister of State for the Middle East (2001–05) | Labour | Tony Blair |
| The Lord Rooker | 6 June 2005 | 5 October 2008 | – Minister of State for Children in Northern Ireland (2005–06) – Minister of State for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health (2006–08) | Labour | Tony Blair |
| The Lord Rooker | 6 June 2005 | 5 October 2008 | – Minister of State for Children in Northern Ireland (2005–06) – Minister of State for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health (2006–08) | Labour | Gordon Brown |
| The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath | 5 October 2008 | 11 May 2010 | – Minister of State for Sustainable Development, Climate Change Adaptation and Air Quality | Labour | Gordon Brown |
| The Lord McNally | 13 May 2010 | 15 October 2013 | – Minister of State for Justice | Liberal Democrat | David Cameron |
| The Lord Wallace of Tankerness | 15 October 2013 | 8 May 2015 | – Advocate General for Scotland | Liberal Democrat | David Cameron |
| The Earl Howe | 12 May 2015 | 5 July 2024 | – Minister of State for Defence (2015–19) | Conservative | David Cameron |
| The Earl Howe | 12 May 2015 | 5 July 2024 | – Minister of State for Defence (2015–19) | Conservative | Theresa May |
| The Earl Howe | 12 May 2015 | 5 July 2024 | – Minister of State for Defence (2015–19) | Conservative | Boris Johnson |
| The Earl Howe | 12 May 2015 | 5 July 2024 | – Minister of State for Defence (2015–19) | Conservative | Liz Truss |
| The Earl Howe | 12 May 2015 | 5 July 2024 | – Minister of State for Defence (2015–19) | Conservative | Rishi Sunak |
| The Lord Collins of Highbury | 9 July 2024 | Incumbent | – Lord-in-waiting – Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa | Labour | Keir Starmer |